Once Upon A Dress
by MeredithBrody
Summary: Brody and Percy discuss Brody's former wedding dress, and the person she was to marry. (2x04 ep tag. Brames)


**I took a total of two things from the episode, and the most specific one was that Brody had a wedding dress, at some point in the past. So, I'm focusing on that here. Also the Brody &Percy broship, because I'm digging those two being besties. So this is another Brody/James thing... where James doesn't actually feature much. Spoilers through 2x04  
** **Shin xx**

* * *

Brody really hated doing the end of case reports, at least now she had someone to assist her with the typing. As the two newest agents they typed everyone's up. Brody typed Pride's and Percy typed LaSalle's. The only downside to this was that it meant they spent a lot of time together, and when Brody wanted to escape questions it wasn't possible. "Will you stop staring at me?" She asked, finally being pushed to distraction by the constant staring. "What's on your mind?"

"So, you actually had a wedding dress?" Percy asked with a smirk, and Brody had to mentally replay their conversations to see when she'd said that. When she couldn't immediately recall it she assumed that she'd never said that, though it was a worryingly psychic accusation.

"I never said that." She defended, deciding that, if anyone was going to get into her mind on this, at least it was Percy. She wasn't quite as judgemental as LaSalle. Not that LaSalle could judge anyone right now.

"You implied it B." Percy said quietly and smiled. It was obvious that she was trying to be discreet, given they never knew exactly where Pride, LaSalle and Patton were. So it was nice that their newfound sisterhood did actually mean something, or Percy just wanted to use it as collateral. Though the truth was that she didn't mind talking about it. "Did you?"

"Yes, I did." She had loved her dress. It was an offwhite, off the shoulder dress with an empire waistline and a tule skirt. She had just adored it, and the moment she'd seen it shed had to get it. Three months later she'd returned it.

"I thought you and Mr. Darcy hadn't planned that far ahead?" Something about Percy calling him 'Mr. Darcy' had her in hysterics. It was just a hilarious mental image. Mostly because James didn't like almost everything that Darcy would have or could have done. It was just hilarious to her.

"We'd planned enough." Was her only comment, once she'd managed to stop laughing at the idea of James being Mr. Darcy. That had taken a shockingly long time. It probably wouldn't have taken as long if she hadn't been in the mood she'd been in for the entirety of this conversation. It was just silly.

"You know, it's obvious you're crazy about him, why'd you two break up?" Percy asked, and Brody had to debate for a moment herself why, and whether or not she wanted to let Percy into that problem. The truth was that she no longer cared about the past. They had to live in the present. Wasn't that what James had said back then, too?

"I told LaSalle the story once, the first time James visited in March." It had been an embarrassing time for her then too, though they hadn't investigated a murder at a wedding at that point.

"I'm not LaSalle, and he and I aren't exactly speaking much." They were both valid points that Brody couldn't exactly argue with. Though she did wonder why Percy and LaSalle weren't speaking much, especially considering it had begun to look like they were getting quite close. There weren't that many things it could be, unless it was Percy and the pictures.

"All because of the picture?" She had to ask. OK, maybe she was partially trying to deflect the attention from her, but mostly she was actually interested in what it was causing thos two to not speak.

Percy, it seemed, was as keen to deflect from that conversation as Brody was from the original one. At least that's how the headshake read to her. "Nah, it's more than that."

"Alright, I'll let you two work that out." There was a point where meddling wasn't going to work, and where it would probably just cause a lot more problems than it would solve. At least in the short-term.

"Anyway, you should tell me the story." Percy grinned, turning the conversation back to Brody and James, rather than Percy and LaSalle. It was done in a skilled way, but Brody was still suddenly far less sure about sharing the story than she had been a few months ago. But Percy still was interested. "Come on, I told you mine."

"It's not exciting or interesting." She started, just wanting to preface the conversation with the fact that this was really just a normal, run of the mill happening in a relationship. "James and I are both married to our jobs, and that made the relationship I wanted difficult." Normal. She'd wanted that once, and James had laughed every time she'd mentioned it. He'd been right all along too, not that she would ever admit that to him. "One day he got a call for a job. I was in a bad place at the time and it was one thing too much. So I packed his things up and put them in storage until he got back and decided what he wanted to do."

"How did you get back together?" They still weren't officially together, but they weren't apart either. It was a very complicated situation that she wasn't sure she could explain to anyone else. But there was at least a story to that. Something that was individual.

"It took years. But we still had connections we couldn't just forget, and we still loved each other, so we regularly fell into bed." She wouldn't always be proud of the circumstances that led to that, and on more than one occasion she'd been in another relationship. She'd always ended up back with James though, all it had taken was a push. "Then in March when James was here... I had it pointed out to me that the heart wants what it wants. Mine has always been his."

"Did you miss him?" Percy asked quietly after a few seconds, and that was a much harder question for Brody to answer. Mostly because it had different answers, depending on when she was asked. She could give an overall answer.

"The years we were apart?" She just wanted to clarify, and when Percy gave a small nod she looked inward for a moment, thinking of the easiest way to give the truth. "Yeah, I guess I did. We still saw each other every few months, until about a year before I moved to New Orleans. He told me he was going back to the UK for work."

Percy took all that in, clearly working out dates in her mind. It was quite fun to watch people try and work this out. Eventually, Percy clearly gave up and decided to just ask the question Brody knew was coming. "Then he came back?"

"Yep, almost 2 years later. That was when I realised that I wanted to be with him." She smiled a little, thinking about the way all that had changed, and how quickly it had changed once she'd made up her mind. Sure, she'd ended up going to Dubai to see him after Baitfish, and now he was in Kenya, but they were working things out.

"Now, you're back together." Percy smiled, giving another little nod in Brody's direction. She couldn't help the grin that just spread on her face automatically when she thought about their odd, crazy as hell situation. It just happened.

"Kinda together." She corrected instantly. While they were definitely a thing, Brody didn't know exactly what they were. So using the qualifier seemed so much easier.

"It counts." Percy smirked, looking at the paperwork and clearly trying to appear nonchalant. It didn't entirely work, but it was a valiant attempt.

She couldn't help, however, sitting and rolling her eyes just a little. "Thanks Percy." She laughed a little, just finding it nice to be able to have these conversations without the all-encompassing testosterone.

"No problem." Percy smiled and then laughed as Brody's phone started ringing. Brody didn't even remember how James' ringtone came to be, and really other than the act it was a cheesy pop song by some British band she didn't know it. But it always made her pick up, and right now it was making Percy laugh. "Hey is that Lancelot?"

"Lancelot?" She narrowed her eyes in confusion. Though the truth was she probably didn't want to know what association Percy had just given her and her partner. It likely wasn't pretty. So before Percy could answer she held up her hand and shook her head. "Yeah it's James."

"Go, I can finish this myself." Percy smiled and nodded to the phone in Brody's hand then the pile of paper work they'd been finishing. The meaning being clear, that Percy thought Brody talking to James was maybe a little more important than the ridiculous case-ending paperwork they had to file.

"Thanks." She smiled and answered the phone, walking away and out to the courtyard. While she enjoyed rattling Percy's cage with LaSalle, she really liked the young agent. Sure, she had a lot to learn about NCIS and about working in a team, but she was learning. It was also nice to have someone to soak up the extra testosterone that swam about their office. As she spoke to James, she was honestly a little thankful that Percy had joined them. It helped.


End file.
